Autonomous airport vehicles — the next frontier of airside operations
Airports around the world are trialing — and in some cases operating — autonomous vehicles across airside and landside functions. These range from driverless baggage tractors and dolly-tugs to passenger shuttles, electric autonomous trucks doing freight loops, and support vehicles (e.g., snowploughs, catering carts). The goal is to increase throughput, reduce labor pressures and risks in the ramp environment, lower emissions (when electrified), and improve predictability in time-sensitive operations. Evidence of progress is visible in pilots at major hubs (Changi, Toulouse, Schiphol, JFK, CVG, Dubai, and others) and from a growing set of vendors focused on aviation use-cases.
Types of autonomous airport vehicles being tested
- Autonomous tow tractors / baggage tugs / dolly-tugs — pull baggage dollies between the baggage hall and aircraft. These are among the most actively trialed vehicles because they perform repetitive routes and face labour shortages.
- Autonomous passenger shuttles — electric shuttles to move passengers between car parks, terminals, or remote gates. Trials often run in controlled parking or apron-adjacent zones.
- Autonomous material-handling robots (AMRs) for hangars, cargo halls and warehouses — small robotic tugs and AMRs that move unit loads inside buildings and across short outdoor links.
- Autonomous heavy vehicles / trucks for freight loops — full-sized, often electric, autonomous trucks for shuttle routes within an airport campus or between airport-adjacent logistics facilities. These are less common at the apron itself but appear in airport logistics and adjacent freight zones.
- Specialist support equipment — snow removal, runway inspection vehicles, and refuelling/catering equipment being prototyped or trialed in restricted areas.
Leading vendors and solutions
- EasyMile / TractEasy (EZTow) — EasyMile’s driverless technology powers TractEasy/EZTow autonomous tow tractors that have been trialed and operated at airports such as Singapore Changi and Toulouse Blagnac. The EZTow product is specifically positioned for baggage and freight movement between aircraft stands and baggage halls.
- TLD Group (EZTow / EZTow partnership) — TLD is a long-established manufacturer of airport ground support equipment (GSE). TLD has collaborated on driverless tow tractor development and markets autonomous versions aimed at Level 4 operations for apron tasks.
- Navya — a French maker of autonomous shuttles used in many controlled-site shuttle pilots, including a platooning demonstration at JFK (Port Authority). Navya’s vehicles are commonly used for landside passenger movement and controlled-parking demonstrations.
- OTTO Motors (Clearpath / OTTO by Rockwell Automation) — OTTO builds AMRs and autonomous material-handling systems commonly used in logistics hubs; their technology is applicable in cargo halls and baggage-handling facilities where indoor movement and warehouse automation matter.
- Einride — while primarily focused on autonomous freight trucks, Einride’s autonomous electric vehicles and platform have been used in logistics operations and could serve airport-adjacent freight loops or large cargo areas; the company has been deploying full-time autonomous freight operations commercially.
- Regional/airport integrators and ground handlers — Several ground handlers (e.g., dnata) are themselves deploying autonomous tractors by partnering with suppliers, integrating fleet, operations and safety procedures unique to airports.
Note: many GSE incumbents (TLD, JBT, and others) are partnering with autonomy software firms (EasyMile, robotics integrators) to produce aviation-ready autonomous GSE rather than pure-play AV start-ups going it alone.
Airports and real-world pilots / deployments (representative examples)
- Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) — TractEasy autonomous tow tractors (EZTow) have been trialed and are serving flights in a demonstrator/operational capacity, showing mixed-traffic operation on apron routes.
- Toulouse–Blagnac (TLS), France — EZTow/TractEasy projects have run there to demonstrate luggage and freight logistics benefits in a busy European airport environment.
- Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) — Schiphol has tested self-driving baggage tractors in trials focused on apron transfer tasks and safety integration.
- John F. Kennedy Intl (JFK) and Newark (EWR) — The Port Authority (PANYNJ) hosted demonstrations of autonomous shuttles (Navya) and staged the first U.S. airport demonstrations of various AVs including shuttle vans in controlled parking/landsid e zones. JFK hosted a Navya platooning demo in 2022.
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Intl (CVG) — CVG has deployed autonomous dolly-tugs (Auto-DollyTugs) for baggage and cargo operations as part of a larger automation push in the cargo-focused airport.
- Dubai World Central (DWC) / dnata operations — dnata rolled out autonomous baggage tractors (partnering with EasyMile tech) at Dubai’s DWC as part of the operator’s automation roadmap. The Middle East is an active region for pilots combining electrification and autonomy.
- Other demonstrations — dozens of other airports and ground-handling providers have conducted short pilots, demos and proofs-of-concept (snowploughs, shuttle demos, cargo AMRs) as reported in industry press and airport announcements.
Benefits observed in pilots
- Operational consistency and uptime — autonomous tractors can run predictable schedules day/night without breaks, which helps tight turnaround windows.
- Labor relief — many handlers cite labor scarcity for ramp crew as a driver for automation pilots. Autonomous systems aim to let human staff focus on higher-skill tasks.
- Safety in repetitive tasks — removing humans from dangerous apron maneuvers reduces exposure to ramp hazards if the systems meet stringent safety validations.
- Potential emissions reductions — when AVs are electric (many prototypes are), airports can reduce local emissions from ground operations.
Key technical and operational challenges
- Mixed-traffic airside operations — aprons are highly dynamic: aircraft tow operations, pushbacks, mobile stairs, fuel trucks and humans all operate in close quarters. Autonomous systems must robustly perceive and predict many agent types and integrate with airside safety rules. Trials focus heavily on sensor redundancy, geofencing, and integration with local ops protocols.
- Regulation and certification — aviation has strict safety regimes. Airports and vendors must develop procedures, safety cases and approvals with regulators and airport authorities before scaling. Pilots often run in tightly controlled corridors or during limited hours.
- Interoperability with existing GSE and workforce — many operators combine human-driven and autonomous fleets; operational playbooks must cover handoffs, maintenance, and human oversight (remote operators or “human in the loop” for exceptional events).
- Weather and edge conditions — aprons face rain, fog, snow and debris — real-world performance in adverse conditions is a critical validation step for Level 4 claims.
Business models and deployment pathways
- Operator + integrator partnerships — airports and ground handlers typically pilot with a technology integrator and established GSE manufacturer (e.g., TLD + EasyMile) to combine domain knowledge with autonomy stacks.
- Fleet-as-a-service — some vendors and handlers explore managed fleets where the autonomy provider supplies vehicles, teleoperations and maintenance as a service, shifting capital and operational risk.
- Phased rollouts — pilots tend to start in low-complexity corridors (fixed routes from gates to baggage halls, car-park shuttles) and expand as safety cases and integration mature.
What to watch next (2025+)
- Commercial scaling at large cargo-focused airports — airports with high cargo throughput (e.g., CVG, Tokyo Narita cargo zones) will be early scaling grounds because the operations are repeatable and less passenger-facing.
- More partnerships between legacy GSE makers and autonomy firms — expect more co-branded products (GSE OEM + autonomy stack) that meet aviation maintenance and certification norms.
- Regulatory frameworks and formal guidance — aviation authorities and airport operators publishing frameworks for autonomous airside ops will accelerate adoption once standard templates exist.
- Cross-modal freight integrations — companies with autonomous freight trucks (Einride, etc.) may connect airport logistics hubs to nearby distribution centers using autonomous, electrified fleets.
Quick reference — useful recent sources
- EasyMile / TractEasy Changi & Toulouse projects (autonomous tow tractors).
- TLD Group EZTow Level 4 announcement (autonomous airport tow tractor).
- Navya shuttle trials at JFK (Port Authority) and platooning demo.
- CVG autonomous Auto-DollyTugs press coverage.
- dnata / Dubai (DWC) autonomous tractor rollout.
- Einride autonomous freight deployments and platform.
FAA Plans
Autonomous Ground Vehicle Systems on Airports
Autonomous Ground Vehicle Systems (AGVS)
The testing of autonomous ground vehicle systems (AGVS), which includes remotely operated devices/equipment, at airports has recently become more prevalent, both domestically and internationally. As the demand for more efficient airport operations grows, there is heightened interest in adopting AGVS (driverless) technology for a variety of airport functions. These applications include but are not limited to: maintenance vehicles (such as mowers, snow removal equipment, sweepers, and foreign object debris (FOD) detection/retrieval systems), perimeter security vehicles, self-driving aircraft tugs, baggage carts, employee buses, and passenger shuttles.
The FAA enthusiastically welcomes innovative implementation of this new entrant technology, but above all, must ensure that it is integrated safely into active airport environments. To that end, the FAA is currently exploring various approaches to researching this technology with the intent of developing standards and guidance to address the use of AGVS at airports.
Airport Autonomous Ground Vehicle System Contacts
| Office | Contacts |
|---|---|
| FAA Airports Emerging Entrants Division | Mike DiPilato, Program Manager AGVS Portfolio Lead Michael.DiPilato@faa.govJonathan Torres, General Engineer Jonathan.Torres@faa.gov |
| FAA Airports Safety and Operations Division | Vern Jackson, Airport Operations Specialist Verned.Jackson@faa.gov |
| FAA Airports Engineering Division | John Merck, Civil Engineer John.Merck@faa.gov |
| FAA Technical Center – Airport Safety Research and Development Section | Russ Gorman, General Engineer William.R.Gorman@faa.govSean Van Dongen, General Engineer Sean.D.Van.Dongen@faa.gov |